Phoenix Tears
by Scarlet Darkness
Summary: Gibbs has been captured but soon finds out he's not alone. Can he help this person? Or will it bring back too many memories? Set after SWAK and most of the team make an appearance. My first NCIS fic. No slash. Warning: contains descriptions of child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own any of the NCIS characters featured or mentioned in this fic. All of the unrecognised characters are mine.**

**I should also add that I am British and, as such, words will be in the UK spelling, not American. Please let me know if I have gotten anything wrong or you think something should be changed. Please note, though, that this doesn't mean that it WILL be changed – I might have written it that way for a reason. **

**There will be a lot of medical terminology in the chapters to come and although I work in a healthcare setting and will have researched these terms/conditions/injuries, I might still get things wrong. **

**Lastly, this is not my first fanfic, but it definitely is my first NCIS fanfic! So please be nice, but if you can't be nice, be constructive! Thanks!**

Chapter 1

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs finally felt himself rising through the familiar feeling of unconsciousness. Wait a minute, why was he unconscious? The marine remained motionless with his eyes closed as he struggled to get his sleepy brain to understand what had happened and provide him with an explanation. He recalled previously waking up, but had no memory of his current situation. Surfacing a little further, he remembered getting up that morning, changing, and then heading out for his usual morning run. But then nothing. Nothing but a steadily growing pain throbbing in the left side of his skull and a bubbling anger at having been rendered unconscious without being able to recall any sign of danger.

Years of marine training kicking in, Gibbs lay perfectly still despite feeling the need to physically explore his headache. Without opening his eyes and potentially alerting any captors to his now conscious state, he focussed fully on his other senses to give him a picture. Immediately, the agent was aware that he was lying on a cold, probably stone, floor. Combined with the absence of any breeze and the odour of mould and dampness, Gibbs decided he was inside a building, possibly an abandoned warehouse or similar. Concluding that there was nothing more he could do whilst feigning unconsciousness, the marine was a split-second away from opening his eyes when he heard the distinct sound of a door opening, a key in a lock and the creaking of old hinges long in need of oiling.

There was a set of heavy footsteps combined with a constant shuffling, similar to someone dragging something. As Gibbs waited, he listened as the footsteps stopped and a chain rattled. Without missing a beat, the footsteps seemed to head back the way they came, the key sounded again in the lock, and the door slammed shut.

Finally opening his eyes, the hardened marine felt his heart nearly stop in his chest. From the sounds he had just heard, he had had the mental image of a fellow captive being brought in. But nothing from previous experiences of being held captive or his two tours of war could have prepared him for the sight he was met with.

Separated from him by solid metal bars was, indeed, a fellow captive. But this was no ordinary situation. Chains surrounded the wrists, thin through malnutrition, and held the body upright. It was obvious that they weren't conscious by the way the feet trailed on the floor, and the head lolled against the chest. Gibbs felt his blood roar with anger as he took in the condition of the captive. Long hair obscuring the face led the agent to assume the figure was female. Her jeans, scuffed and blood-stained, hung loosely from her tiny frame and purplish black hand-prints stood out against her white skin. But even that didn't come close to the one thing that the marine couldn't get his head around.

This girl couldn't have been more than eight years old.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, fighting back a groan as his headache protested to the change in equilibrium. He knew he'd need assistance in getting himself and the child out of their captivity, and his thoughts moved to his team. He always went for a run before heading to the Navy Yard, a fact known by his Senior Field Agent. On occasion, DiNozzo had ended up staying at the boss' house, usually after a hard case, or when recovering from some injury or another, and the two would complete the run together.

The marine was known throughout the office as one to always arrive early. By habit, he usually reached his desk by 0600hrs at the latest, coffee cup in hand. He was a creature of habit, his routine could be set in stone and he ordered his day with a military precision drummed into him in the Navy. As such, he had full confidence in his team to be able to track and find him. The silver-haired agent almost smiled as he pictured Abby throwing herself into his arms before holding him at arm's length and lecturing him into next week about scaring her half to death.

Reality came crashing back as there was movement in the accompanying cell. The marine swiftly rose to his feet, ignoring the creaking in his bad knee, and approached the bars separating the two cells. The father in him ached as he watched the kid pull one foot, then the other, underneath her to take the weight off her wrists. He could hear her breathing now, shallow and laboured and wheezing. Memories flashed of his senior field agent struggling for breath under blue lights, but he squeezed his eyes shut and shook the images away.

"Hey, kiddo," Gibbs said, his voice soft and non-threatening. She immediately stilled, obviously having been unaware that she wasn't alone. Trembles shook her small body and only added to the fire growing in the marine's heart. "You're ok. I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Gibbs, I'm a cop, can you tell me your name?"

As the agent watched, she lifted her head slightly, revealing a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and a terrified expression, but she said nothing. Keeping her eyes to the floor, Gibbs wondered if she had even heard him. Could she be deaf? It seemed unlikely since she had suddenly stopped moving as soon as he had started talking, but just to make sure, he moved to his left, further into her line of sight, and repeated his words, signing at the same time.

"Hey," He whispered, smiling softly as just for a split-second, her eyes met his. As soon as she looked up at him, she looked away, seemingly even more frightened than before. The marine frowned as he watched her shift from foot to foot, her head shaking in the negative but before he could attempt to calm the terrified child, the door to the cell block was thrown open and bounced back on its hinges.

"The hell kind of operation you running here?! Kidnapping and abusing kids!" The lead agent couldn't hold in the anger any longer and all NCIS training of 'don't rile your captors' went out of the window. There was nothing on this earth which was going to stop him from getting in the way of this sicko. Hell, he'd give up his own freedom if it meant that she would be left alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer – see Chapter 1**

**So, here is it – Chapter 2! **

Chapter 2

The guy standing on the other side of the lock was obviously an ex-Marine. Say that to Gibbs and you'd get a snapped 'no such thing', but in this case, the agent would move heaven and earth to ensure that this sick freak lost all association with the Core. With a height and weight similar to that of himself, Gibbs looked the guy up and down. Regulation crew-cut, straight back, military stance, and that certain... air one gets from training in the Core. Definitely an ex-Marine.

Gibbs couldn't decide which was more disconcerting: the fact that this once Marine obviously disowned the Core, and the duty and responsibility which went along with it; or that this guy was using meticulously-taught skills to do some horrific damage to none other than a child. What this poor kid had suffered, God only knew.

The silver-haired agent grabbed the bars of the door to his cell and threw his weight against them as the guy only sneered at him and stepped forward to unlock the girl's cell.

"Not man enough to fight a proper Marine?! You have to take your pathetic anger out on a defenceless child?" Gibbs growled, willing his opponent to make a change of heart and turn on him instead. No such luck, it seemed.

"This defenceless child?" The guy asked, smiling as he circled the girl. She remained perfectly still, her breathing shaky and wheezing, her eyes never leaving the floor. "You hear that? Our visitor thinks you're defenceless." He grabbed her chin, forcing her head up and back, and sneering as she closed her eyes. "Yeah, I suppose you are. But then, break the rules and you deserve to be defenceless."

Without missing a beat, he threw her head to the side, took a step back, withdrew a pistol from inside his jacket, and fired. Gibbs didn't miss the pained cry, nor the following whimpers as the girl struggled to bend forward. His eyesight, though poor enough to force him from the Core, easily picked up the signs of the injury.

"The hell? What kind of rules do you have where the consequences of disobeying include a bullet through the knee?!" Gibbs roared, returning to the cell door and desperately trying to wrench it from its hinges in his rage. The kid had gone quiet again and the agent turned towards her, taking in her condition. She seemed to still be conscious, though writhing in agony as much as her restraints would allow.

"What kind of rules? The kind that state that questioning my actions leads to swift punishment." Gibbs realised what was about to occur but was a split-second too late to do anything about it. His gut clenched and he felt sick to his stomach as he saw the kid black out and her bleeding wrists take her weight as a bullet blasted through her other knee.

"NCIS! Drop the weapon!" Through the open door, Gibbs picked up his senior field agent's voice. The barrel of a Sig, followed closely by two outstretched arms and the intense face of Tony DiNozzo edged through the doorway. "I said, DROP YOUR WEAPON!"

Their captor, caught somewhat off-guard by the sudden intrusion and spying the three agents manoeuvring through the cell block, levelled his hands with his shoulders, bent slightly, and let the pistol slide to the floor. The look of defeat was clear in his eyes, but there was a hint of determination which set Gibbs' gut churning.

As soon as DiNozzo had his hands on the guy, Gibbs started issuing orders.

"DiNozzo! Get that guy cuffed, find his keys, and then lock him in the truck. David! Get an ambulance down here, ASAP!" The gunnery sergeant barked, his desperation to release the child from her restraints and get her to some medical help driving to snap at his agents. McGee, only just noticing the other captive for the first time, had turned decidedly pale and stood rooted to the spot, his brain seemingly unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

DiNozzo wrestled the ex-Marine into a pair of handcuffs, none too gently, before searching for the keys to the cells and chains. It took seconds to locate the ring of keys.

"Probie! Snap out of it! Take our prisoner up to the truck!" Tony snapped, shoving the perp towards the computer expert before turning to the locks on the cells. "You hurt, Boss?"

"Just get these locks open, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled, turning again to look over the unconscious kid in the neighbouring cell and lowering his voice slightly. "Gotta get this kid some help. Bastard shot out both her knees, God knows what else he's done to her."

Swinging the door to Gibbs' cell open, Tony turned to the next cell, not surprised at the lead agent's sudden appearance at his side. The agents rushed inside as soon as the door swung back and Gibbs wasted no time in gathering the child into his arms. One arm under her damaged legs, and the other round her back, she looked even smaller against the Marine.

"I got you, kiddo. You're safe now." Gibbs murmured into the child's hair, totally uncaring of the tone he was using within earshot of his senior field agent. As Tony released one thin, bleeding wrist, he lowered the girl's hand and laid it gently in her lap, then started on the last lock. The lead agent could feel spreading wet patches on both of his arms, and was sadly glad that she wasn't awake enough to feel the pain her wounds must have been causing.

"She's free, Boss." Tony reported quietly, resting the other hand down and pausing to smooth a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I can hear sirens now; maybe we should meet them topside."

There was no acknowledgement from the Boss, he merely bowed his head a little and started off through the door.

As the two agents reached the sunlight, they were met by two uniformed paramedics trailing a gurney. One reached out to take the child, but was ignored as Gibbs lowered the girl to the padded surface with infinite care, murmuring softly as he did so.

"Gunshot wounds to both knees, a wheeze in her chest, don't know what other injuries she has." Gibbs reported, his steely blue eyes never leaving the white face, her little hand clasped in his much larger one. Both medics nodded as they applied the monitoring equipment and took initial readings.

"Pulse is 168, pressure 60 over 35, sats are 78% and dropping. Let's get her to Bethesda, its closest. Matt, call ahead and make sure they're expecting us, she doesn't have time to waste!"

"I'm going with her." Gibbs stated, moving quickly after the gurney. The paramedics just shared a glance and nodded, neither having the time to argue about the agent's lack of blood relation with their patient. "DiNozzo! Get that guy into custody. No-one speaks to him until I've interrogated him."

There were no replies from the members of Gibbs' team. They had all seen the state of the child held captive along with their Boss, and none were going to afford this sicko any special treatment.

**Before I go on with this story, I need some reviews so that I know if I am playing with a viable storyline, or if it is just totally useless and I am wasting my time. Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – see chapter 1**

**Welcome to chapter 3! I have managed to write these chapters in fairly quick time, but this might not always be the case! So please be patient and bear with me as I try to write at the same time as holding down a full-time life! **

**I must say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It is a massive help to me when people give a little feedback, even if it is just a few words. Thank you.**

Chapter 3

Gibbs was in a thunderous mood. He stormed back and forth across the shiny linoleum floor of the ER waiting room, his hands clenched into fists and his brain re-running the journey in the ambulance. Not long after they had set off, the girl's condition had deteriorated, her heart and breathing stopping and forcing the medics to pull over and throw themselves into their emergency protocol. The Marine, feeling his own heart struggling to comprehend the situation, stood back to let the professionals have full access to their patient. He was lost as medical terms were thrown around. _Endotracheal tube, laryngoscope, ventricular fibrillation, hypovolemic shock, cardiac arrest..._ He knew what that last one meant, and suddenly felt afraid that so soon after they had rescued her, they would lose her.

Since when had he started having such strong feelings for a victim of crime before? He had been part of many rescues before this, but never had he felt so... responsible? Involved? Guilty? Hell, he didn't know how he felt.

"Jethro," The voice of Medical Examiner Dr. Mallard broke the agent from his thoughts and he turned inpatient eyes onto the doctor. "What is happening? Tony said you'd been held captive with a child? Are you hurt?"

"Not me that's hurt, Duck." Gibbs replied, then turned and gestured to the set of doors which he had been rather forcibly pushed through when he had tried to stay with the child. "They won't let me stay with her. Kid's been tortured and I need to find out what the hell's going on!"

"I'm sure they are only doing their jobs, Jethro." Ducky soothed, attempting to douse the fire raging through the lead agent. Seeing that his words had not had the desired effect and that Gibbs was edging closer to a complete outburst, the M.E. raised his hands in defeat. "I will go and see if there is anything I can learn from these lovely people."

Finally feeling as though he was getting somewhere, Gibbs turned his back to the doors and scrubbed his hands through his short hair. He sat down into one of the cold, hard, plastic chairs and flipped open his cell as its shrill ringtone sounded.

"Gibbs," He answered, his tone informing the caller that they had better be phoning with something important.

"_Hey, Boss. Our guy's in custody but he's not giving up anything. Won't even give us a name."_

"You and Ziva head back to that warehouse and see if you can get anything on him. Weapons, restraints, laptops, anything that Abby can get a print from. And get McGee to check with Metro to see if this kid matches any Missing Persons reports." The lead agent ordered.

"_On it, Boss. Any news on the kid's condition?"_

"Ducky's in there now." With that, he snapped the phone shut, and slipped it back into his pocket. The Marine sighed as he sat back in the chair. It had taken a long time to stabilise the child on the way to the Naval Hospital, and he knew he might have a long wait to find anything out, but he was prepared to wait.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tony and Ziva pulled up outside the warehouse for the second time that day. They got out of the company Sedan and Tony locked the vehicle before pocketing the key.

"What exactly does Gibbs think we will find here?" Ziva asked as they headed to the rusted metal door.

"Well, Zee-vah, there's probably a massive poster hanging on the wall, with the guy's mug-shot on it that says "This is John Doe, 49 years old, lives at-" Tony was abruptly cut off by a sharp fist to his upper arm.

"Do not be an idiot, Tony." The Israeli snapped. "The security cameras showed Gibbs out for a run before he was struck on the back of the head and pushed into the back of a van. You know his normal route, it does not go past here. So they did not take him because he was likely to come across something suspicious, they KNEW him."

"I don't know what the connection is, Ziva, that's why we're here. Something must have a viable print on it which Abby might be able to get an ID from. If not, Gibbs will interrogate it out of him." Tony said, as they stepped into the gloom.

Ziva flipped a switch on the wall just inside the door, causing a bare light-bulb to turn on, and throwing light across the hallway. The sudden glow disturbed a small group of brown rats, which scattered, screeching, at the intrusion. The Mossad Officer rolled her eyes as her colleague let out a decidedly high-pitched squeal and jumped back towards the door.

"Oh, stop being such a sassy! It is only a rat." She said, turning to Tony and raising her eyebrows.

"It's 'sissy', and did you not see them? They were huge! Like the 2002 movie 'The Rats', directed by John Lafia, where they find a group of mutated, man-eating rats..." Tony shuddered at the thought; he never could bring himself to actually watch the movie. Seriously, what could possibly be worse than mutated rats?

Bringing himself back to the present, Tony suddenly realised he was alone in the hallway. Noticing the previously closed door a little further down the corridor, he hurried to catch up but gave the floor a suspicious look, as if waiting for more of the evil rodents to suddenly appear. The dark-haired agent turned into the room and came to an immediate halt behind Ziva, who also stood completely still, her eyes taking in her surroundings.

It was a small room, perhaps an office when the building was functional, but now only housed a small desk with a chair and a filing cabinet. Polaroid photos, newspaper articles, hand-drawn images, and building blueprints covered all four walls and the back of the door. Ziva was first to make a move, donning a pair of latex gloves and walking over to the desk, while she heard her partner taking photos of the room.

"Got a laptop over here, Tony." She reported, slipping the equipment into an evidence bag to take back to the Navy Yard. Apart from the computer, the desk was bare, leading Ziva to move on to the four-drawer filing cabinet.

Tony, now finished taking photos of everything, joined his colleague at the cabinet and watched over her shoulder as she pulled the top drawer open. More evidence bags were used as the two agents collected several sets of restraints and handcuffs, a machete, a pair of hunting knives, and a spare clip still full of ammunition.

The second and third drawers were empty but contained a few spots of blood, which were sampled and added to the list of forensic jobs which Abby would have to work through. The last drawer held numerous syringes, some with needles, and others without, as well as unlabelled bottles of clear liquid, and a metal canister with a clip-on lid.

Neither agent said anything as they collected the evidence and secured the scene before returning to the office.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

**So, the story continues! **

Chapter 4

By the time Ducky, accompanied by a rather serious-faced doctor wearing a white lab coat, emerged from the Majors area of the Emergency Room, Gibbs had located the nearest machine dispensing 'coffee', determined that it tasted more like dirty dish-water than coffee, and managed to pace the floor so brutally that all other waiting relatives and friends had migrated to the other side of the waiting room.

"Duck?" Gibbs asked, his eyes taking in everything in the two men's expressions in an attempt to have some idea of the news he was about to receive.

He was suddenly bombarded by the mental image of the tortured kid lying white and motionless on one of Ducky's autopsy tables, the wheeze gone, her chest still, and little legs still mangled. His gut churned at the thought.

"Please, Jethro," Ducky started, waving his arm towards a row of empty chairs. Once seated, the M.E. met the lead agent's eyes and motioned to his companion. "This is Dr. Williams, one of the emergency consultants on rotation."

"Pleasure to meet you, Doc." Gibbs replied, briefly shaking the man's hand. "Now, can we get to the point?"

"Yes, well, it has taken us a long time to get the child into a stable condition." Ducky reported. "You will remember the troubles during the ambulance journey here, and unfortunately, she suffered two more cardiac arrests on arrival. The second was quite a bit more severe than the others and there was a prolonged absence of blood flow to the brain."

"English, Duck!" Gibbs barked, his patience now completely gone.

"She is likely to be brain-damaged, Jethro." The M.E. stated softly. "Her other injuries have meant that she will be placed into a medically-induced coma and is being ventilated to allow her body to heal. If she reaches the stage where she has recovered enough to be woken, the doctors will be able to determine the extent of any damage to the brain."

"Her other injuries?" The Marine asked, his voice quieter now.

"She is undergoing surgery as we speak, to attempt to repair the damage done to her legs. You must understand, Jethro, that there is a possibility that the surgeons may have to amputate the limbs." Ducky watched his friend's face as he nodded his understanding. "She has lacerations to both wrists, probably from the friction of handcuffs, and full-thickness burns to most of her back. Being on the ventilator will also help her lungs as there is evidence of a serious chest infection."

"She was wheezing." Gibbs murmured, remembering. "Like DiNozzo when he gets a cold."

Ducky turned to the doctor, thanking him for his help, and requesting an update following the surgery.

"Jethro," The M.E. enquired. "Who is this child? Why is she so important to you?"

"Damned if I know, Duck." Gibbs replied.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Tony! Tony! Tony! Did you find him? You did, didn't you? Because you wouldn't have come back to NCIS without him, right? But he's not here –"

"Abs, its fine, we found him. He's at the hospital." Tony said quickly, stopping the goth in the middle of her rant. As soon as he had spoken the words, though, he realised what perspective she would have taken on it, but before he had time to backtrack and explain, she had started again.

"AT THE HOSPITAL?! And you're here?! What the hell, Tony? The bossman was kidnapped, held against his will, INJURED, and you just left him at the hospital? And you didn't even CALL me? What –"

"ABBY!" Tony yelled, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and giving her a shake. "Gibbs is fine. He wasn't injured. There was a kid held captive too and she was hurt, so he went with her to the hospital."

Abby pulled herself out of Tony's grasp and smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" He cried, rubbing his shoulder.

"You, mister, let me believe that Gibbs had been hurt enough to need hospital treatment! Wait a minute, you said a kid?" She stopped, confused. Where had the kid come into it?

"When we found Gibbs, there was a kid in the cell next to his, and the guy holding them had hurt her pretty bad. Gibbs went in the ambulance with her. Until we find her parents, she'll need a protection detail." Tony explained, watching as Abby's expression turned from relief that her Silver Fox was ok to concern for the child. "Ziva and I went back to the location and gathered all the evidence. Gibbs wants you to grab any prints you can so we can identify our guy in custody. We got a laptop too, maybe there's something on there that will help."

"On it, Boss!" Abby grinned, using her best DiNozzo expression.

**Still enjoying it? Starting to hate it? Let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: see Chapter 1**

**Catherine: Thank you for a wonderful and detailed review! I have struggled in the past with the "pace" of my writing, with some saying it goes too fast and needs more detail. I have been really trying to get the balance right here, with enough detail to be realistic, but not be too slow. **

**Thank you also, for picking up my error of mentioning the Core when it is, in fact, the Marine Corps. I have changed it for this chapter. I can also assure you that there probably will not be any "miraculous recoveries" in this story. Apologies to all those who were hoping otherwise. **

**DS2010: Can I just say a big thank you for mentioning Abby's reaction! I am trying to "get into the characters" in order to get their mannerisms and ways of speaking as realistic as I can. Abby is someone I like writing, every thought that she has, she says. Gibbs is also good to write. I am struggling a little with Tony, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!**

Chapter 5

Even with warnings from both Ducky and the senior paediatric consultant looking after her, Gibbs found himself shocked at the sight of the child lying in the bed on the other side of the glass. The paediatric ICU, although as busy and intense as the adult department, had colourful curtains and cartoon characters painted on the walls. But despite the custard-yellow with multi-coloured polka dot curtains at the window and Mickey Mouse waving happily from beside the bathroom door, the child's condition was blatantly obvious to even the least medically-trained passerby.

"Do you have any idea who she is? Who her parents are, Agent Gibbs?" Dr. Wilks asked, joining the agent at the window and casting an eye over his young patient.

"My team are working on it." Gibbs replied tersely, turning slightly towards the doctor, but keeping his gaze on the sedated child. "As soon as we know who she is, we can contact the parents. Until then, someone from the agency will be posted here 24/7."

"Of course." The doctor replied, saddened that they didn't even have a name for the girl. "I will have the visitation rules waived for you and your team, given the circumstances."

If the doctor had not turned to leave at that moment, he would have missed the nearly-invisible nod of understanding given by the agent. Gibbs remained stationed outside the room for a few more minutes before he entered, the investigator in him taking in every detail. As he paused beside the bed, a frown graced his features as he realised again just how small she was, leading him to question his earlier prediction of eight years of age.

She was positioned on her back, the sheet pulled up to her chest, her arms on top of the cover and down by her sides. IV lines ran into both arms, a catheter snaked out from underneath the sheet, and multiple other unidentified leads and tubes covered the tiny body. Gibbs pulled the plastic chair closer to the bed and sat down into it.

The agent was surprised at how emotional he felt. It didn't seem right. He had seen hundreds of wounded people in his time, in the Marine Corps and in NCIS, but none had brought out this reaction. The father in him ached to be able to provide some measure of comfort to the child, to hold her hand, to take the pain away, to make her better. The agent side of him reminded him that this was not his daughter. She had parents out there. She was a victim of a crime under his jurisdiction, yes, but that did not make her HIS responsibility. Any other agent could be accountable.

And yet, it did not feel as though he was trying to replace his own daughter. That could never, and would never, happen. This was different. Was he feeling love towards this little girl as he would a child of his own? Frustrated, he rubbed his hands through his hair. He knew one thing though: just because her parents were not there did not mean that she should go without the comfort of someone who cared. And so he reached out, taking the tiny hand in his, and hoping that even through her sedation, she would know that she wasn't alone.

It was in this position that Ducky found them almost an hour later. The M.E. silently observed his old friend from the doorway before walking in and placing a "proper cup of coffee" in front of the Marine, who gave a half-smile in return.

"Got an update, Duck?" Gibbs asked, motioning to the other chair in the room.

"Indeed, there is a little good news." Ducky replied, pulling up the chair and taking a seat. "The surgeons were able to complete the surgery without the need for amputation. It will be a long while, however, before we know whether or not she will regain full functionality in her legs. But she has age on her side. Patients at her stage in life can go on to live with minimal disruption to everyday activities."

"And the burns?" The Marine asked.

"That will take a lot more treatment, I'm afraid." The Scottish physician said, sighing softly. "As I mentioned earlier, they are full-thickness, meaning that there is damage below the level of the skin. She will need to be turned frequently to allow the area to heal. She may well require further surgery at a later time to allow the doctors to place skin grafts over the open wounds."

"Ah, hell, Duck." Gibbs sighed, raising the coffee cup to his lips and taking a long sip. "She's just a kid. I'll need you to do a psychological profile on this guy. He had absolutely no hesitation in pulling that trigger on her. What the hell kind of human being shoots a child? Not to kill, just to maim, he knew what he was doing."

"It is deeply disturbing, I must admit." Ducky agreed, his normally serene expression now dark.

The shrill ring of Gibbs' cell broke the two men out of their thoughts and the agent flipped the phone open, glanced at the name of the caller, and then answered.

"Yeah Abs, what you got?"

"_What have I got? Gibbs! I was so, so, so worried about you! You go out for a run and then, out of nowhere, BAM! You go and get kidnapped! I mean, seriously?! –"_

"I'm fine, Abs. What have you got for me?"

"_I ran all the evidence that Tony and Ziva brought back. I mean everything: the weapons, handcuffs, syringes, the weird clear liquids, the stuff in the metal jar, and the laptop –"_

"Abs!"

"_It's... it's hinky, Gibbs. I mean, really hinky. I think it's probably best for you to see this..."_

"Ok, on my way, Abs. Call Dinozzo and get him to take over from me here."

**So there we have it! As always, please let me know what you all think, especially regarding the dialogue of the characters – I'm really trying to get the characters as close to the real thing as I can in terms of their speech. **

**Thanks all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer – See chapter 1**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

Chapter 6

The moment Gibbs stepped foot outside the elevator, he was almost knocked backwards by the blaring noise emanating from Abby's lab. How she could listen, never mind work, to that stuff he would never know. But if it helped her to focus her mind and concentrate on what she needed to do, he would pay for the electricity bill himself. And so, armed with coffee in one hand, and a Caf-Pow! in the other, the Marine stepped through the automated door and into Abby's workspace.

The forensic scientist immediately felt the presence of someone in her lab and twisted in her chair to see who it was. Seeing her silver-haired fox, she jumped up, ran through her office and threw herself at the agent.

"Wow, Abs!" Gibbs managed to grunt, as his arms were suddenly full of a very energetic Goth. "You make me drop this coffee and I'll shoot the Caf-Pow! machine..."

"You wouldn't!" Abby gasped, covering her mouth and taking a step back, analysing his expression to determine if the threat was definite. "Okay, maybe you would. But still, that's just mean! That's like me switching your normal coffee for decaf, which would be breaking rule number twenty-three –"

"Abby! I didn't come all the way down here to hear you recite my rules to me." The agent reminded her, dumping the massive cup of sugary caffeine next to her computer and taking a slow sip of his own drink.

"Right," She replied, instantly losing the hyper-activity and becoming very sincere. "I started off by analysing the laptop which immediately told me one thing: this guy is no computer-genius. He hid nothing, Gibbs. No passwords, no encryptions, nada. I don't know whether he just didn't know how to, or if he just didn't care enough to. Anyway, what I found are video files, tons of them, dated from all the way back to 2008, right up to the last one, which was this morning."

"What are they?" Gibbs asked, his brow furrowing as he silently listened to her report.

"Take a look. This is the latest video, time-stamped 06:13 this morning" Abby clicked the file open as the Gibbs rounded the workstation to stand in front of the large plasma screen on the back wall of the lab.

The recording was obviously from some sort of CCTV camera, the picture dark and slightly out of focus, but still clear enough to understand. The view, apparently from the top corner of a room, showed a motionless Gibbs lying on his side, facing away from the camera.

"Nothing much happens for about 12 minutes, let me just run it forward..." The scientist murmured, quickly moving the recording to a stage where something can be seen happening.

Gibbs watched with a sense of déjà vu as a figure moved into view, dragging a small bundle at his side. The agent forced himself to watch as the bundle merged into the limp body of a child, her upper right arm held tightly in her captor's grip before she was hoisted to her feet and secured by the dangling chains.

"That's enough, Abs." The Marine said his voice low. He had lived through the experience, and had no wish to relive it. "What's on the rest of the tapes?"

"I could only watch a little of one of the other clips. It shows a different location, but it's still as horrific and vile as this one. I managed to get a reasonable picture of the guy's face and it's running through the Facial Recognition Software as we speak, along with the prints I took from the weapons and laptop. Also, I was able to match the kid's face in this morning's video, to the one I watched a bit of, and it's the same girl. Can't give you an I.D. though, she's too young to be included in any of the military, Navy, or police databases."

"So, this asshole has obviously held her for a while." The expression on the agent's face was one of solid fury. His gut was churning and his brain was rapidly producing methods of interrogation and torture that he could use on this serious criminal.

"Is the kid...?" Abby couldn't even complete the question.

"She's critical. Ducky says she might never walk, there could be brain damage. Might not even make it." Gibbs murmured. "What else did you find?"

"The liquid in the metal canister was sulphuric acid, which is really toxic. It's used as a super-strong drain cleaner, amongst other things, and can cause SEVERE burns if you don't wear protection when using it." The forensic scientist explained, moving back over to her work table, where the numerous pieces of evidence were lying. "The syringes all had minute traces of blood inside the needles, which I'm running just now. And these glass bottles contain a strong mixture of PCP, the street drug, and some other chemical which is probably a homemade drug."

"So he was out of his brain on drugs while he was torturing her." Gibbs stated quietly. It made sense. If this freak was high on a mixture of street drugs and God knows what else, any logical thought would have disappeared. It did not, however, excuse the blatant abuse and torture of another human being, let alone a child.

Sensing that Abby had nothing else to give him in terms of results, Gibbs turned and strode purposefully out of the lab and towards to elevator, calling a "Thanks, Abs!" over his shoulder.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"McGee! You get any hits from Missing Persons?" Gibbs barked as soon as elevator doors slid open. By the time he was standing in front of his agent's desk, McGee had jumped up and was slowly moving from foot to foot, his nervousness threatening to make the senior agent smack him on the back of the head in some attempt to ground the man.

"Um... I looked through all the Missing Persons Reports for the last six months, but there's nothing that matches the girl's description." McGee inwardly smiled, proud of managing to give his report, disappointing as it was, and only stuttering once.

"Abby found video clips dating back to 2008, check the reports around that time." The lead agent snapped, marching to his own desk, sitting in the chair and throwing the last of his coffee into the waste-paper bin.

"You think she had been kidnapped in 2008 and held all that time, Boss?" McGee asked.

"McGee! There's a little girl lying in the Paediatric ICU at Bethesda who currently is in a critical condition, has no name, and whose parents are probably tearing their hair out! So, unless you have any better ideas, CHECK THE DAMN REPORTS!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

**Many thanks for all the reviews so far! Please keep them coming!**

**NCIS fan – don't worry, I love reviews which have constructive criticism! And my thanks for providing the information about the type of container needed to store sulphuric acid – the container will be changing from metal to thick glass in future chapters!**

**Apologies if, in this chapter, the use of evidence and the software in the NCIS systems does not match reality! I am not a forensic scientist, nor a computer expert, but I wrote it this way to match my storyline. Thanks.**

Chapter 7

"Duck, any change in the kid's condition?" Gibbs asked, exiting the NCIS building and striding towards his favourite coffee shop, cell phone pressed hard against his ear.

"_I'm with her as we speak. Her condition is still critical and with her being unconscious and unable to cough to clear her lungs, she is at higher risk of the chest infection turning into pneumonia. Her vital signs are still holding, though, which is a good sign."_

"I'll be back there as soon as I've got an ID on our guy in custody. I'm sending another agent to cover the protection detail. Need DiNozzo back here. Can you get a blood sample from the girl and get DiNozzo to bring it back with him?"

"_Certainly, Jethro."_

"Stay with her, Duck." Gibbs replied, snapping the phone closed to end the call. His gut was still churning about everything. There was something not quite right about the situation, something deeper. He still couldn't place his own role in it. Why had they taken him? Rule 39 proved that it wasn't coincidental, so what the hell was the link? There had been no attempt to hide the identity of his captor, but nothing in his brain was recognising anything.

By the time he had arrived at the coffee shop, ordered his usual, and waited for it to be brewed freshly the way he liked it, he was no further forward in understanding the situation than he had been twenty minutes previously. Calling Abby, he prayed for a step forward in the case.

"Tell me you got something, Abs."

"_So, the fingerprint I ran matched to a Chief Petty Officer Michael Dixon. I also emailed it to McGee. I still don't have an ID for the little girl though. I'll need a DNA sample from both to be able to link them to the evidence collected from the scene."_

"Tony's on his way back from the hospital with a blood sample from the kid for you. Great work, Abs!"

Finally feeling like he was getting somewhere, Gibbs double-timed it back to the office.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Michael Dixon, Chief Petty Officer, joined the Marines in 2000 and completed two tours of Afghanistan. In late 2007, his wife, Rachel Dixon, was murdered, and he went off the rails, leading to a charge of misconduct and being discharged from the Navy." Tony reported, the images of the husband and wife flashing onto the screen courtesy of McGee, who remained sitting at his computer.

"Rachel Dixon..." Gibbs murmured, his gut telling him he should remember the name.

"Yeah, Boss. She was the fifth victim of a serial killer you later caught and put behind bars." Tony added, looking sideways at his boss. "His name was –"

"Petty Officer Nick Johnson." Gibbs finished, details of the case rushing back.

"I am confused. This Nick Johnson murdered five people, the last being Rachel Dixon. And her husband is who we have in our custody?" Ziva asked, stepping forward for the first time. "But what has this child got to do with it?"

"Well, Zee-vah," Tony replied, drawing her name out ensuring he had her full attention. "Until we get an identification for the girl, we won't know how she is involved."

"Abby's running the blood sample for the kid against the traces she found on the evidence. Until she gets her results, you three get to work!" Gibbs snapped, sending his three agents rushing to carry out his order.

"Um, Boss? What exactly do you need us to do?" Tony asked hesitantly. Inwardly cringing as the boss turned slowly around to face him, the Italian inhaled, ready to start his verbal back-pedalling.

"Find out how and why the damn kid ended up away from her family, kidnapped with a Federal Agent, and beaten so badly she now has potential brain damage!" Gibbs roared, frustration flowing out of every pore. "And Dinozzo, get a DNA sample from the bastard then take it to Abby." With that said, the Marine turned on his heel, grabbed his coffee, and strode towards the elevator, punching the button to take him to Abby's lab.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Suddenly finding himself with his arms full of Goth for the second time that day, Gibbs took a deep breath, steadied his favourite Forensic Scientist, and took a step back.

"Right here, Abs." He replied.

"Seriously, Gibbs, we totally have this psychic connection thing going on! I mean, really! It's like, as soon as any of my babies let out their little 'ding!' to tell me they've found something, you walk out of the elevator! Wait, have you got McGee to set up some system where you get a 'ding!' when I get a 'ding!'?" Abby asked, as Gibbs silently wondered if that was at all possible, and if it was, his young agent would soon be set to the task.

"I don't have a dinger, Abs." He reassured her, smiling softly at her quirky nature.

"Oh, then you must have totally bugged my lab! It's the only other way you could possibly know the very moment that I have something for you!" She continued.

"So, you have something for me."

"I have something for you." She confirmed, smiling.

"You gonna tell me about it?" He pressed, barely containing his ever-growing frustration.

"Ok! I ran the blood sample from the little girl against the traces I found on the evidence and the result is, well, hinky." Abby reported, leading the agent to her computer. "It matches the traces on the weapons and restraints."

"Well, I expected it would, Abs. He was physically abusing the kid."

"That's not the hinky part, Gibbs. The hinky part is that it was her blood on the inside of the syringe needles. He wasn't high when he was torturing her; he was drugging her, Gibbs." She said, her pigtails swinging as she shook her head at the vile act. The agent's eyes turned dark as the information sank in.

The two were ripped from their thoughts as Tony walked in, a cheek-swab carefully sealed in an evidence bag dangling from his hand.

"Here you go, Abs! Took a little bit of persuasion, but he saw reason in the end." DiNozzo said, smiling his classic grin and cracking his knuckles for dramatic effect.

Abby took the swab from the bag, loaded it, and set it to run through the machine whilst Tony looked sheepishly at Gibbs and narrowly missed getting his head slapped.

"Hey! Don't worry, Boss! He's all yours, I swear. I didn't even touch him, much as I might have wanted to smash his face against the wall until –"

Tony was cut off by a sharp swat to the back of his head, at the same time as a little 'ding!' was heard.

"Wow, that was super quick! That usually only happens when... wait..." Abby trailed off, her brows furrowing as she typed furiously into her computer.

"Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"Um... Well... the software has a feature whereby it stores all recent searches so that they come up quicker if they are searched for again..."

"ABBY!"

"Well, the DNA sample from our guy downstairs matches the fingerprints I took off the evidence, proving that it was him who used them." She spluttered, causing Gibbs' gut to clench at her unusual reaction. "It also showed another match. There is a familial match to the DNA sample Tony brought back from the hospital."

"English, Abby!" Gibbs all but shouted, his patience now gone.

"She's his daughter..."

**So there you go! Did you see it coming? Completely surprised? REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

Chapter 8

Gibbs struggled to remember another time in his life where he was as angry as he was right at that moment. Whatever the results from all the forensic testing had shown, he had not expected this. This little girl could not possibly have done anything in this world worthy of the treatment she had been given by a member of her own family. Was it not enough that the poor kid had lost her mother at the hands of a sadistic serial killer?

By the time his mind had stopped turning, Gibbs found himself back at the coffee shop he had visited not two hours before.

"Usual." He managed to grunt at the fifty-something brunette behind the counter. She knew better than to try and engage the Marine in any form of conversation and quickly busied herself in brewing the strong beverage. Stepping away from the counter, Gibbs pulled his cell phone from his jacket and called his Senior Field Agent.

"_DiNozzo."_

"DiNozzo, get me a name for this kid, and put Dixon into Interrogation. I'll talk to him when I get back." As usual, he ended the call without saying goodbye or even waiting to see if his agent had understood the instruction.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Dr. Donald Mallard took up occupancy of the blue plastic chair at the side of the bed. He had spoken to the consultant regarding their young patient, but with no identification, there was no medical history, and all the medics could do was to treat problems as they arose.

"Well, my dear girl, it seems you are remaining a mystery to my colleagues at NCIS. It would make things a lot easier if we just knew your name. We would know if you had other medical problems, be able to find your family, but don't you worry, we will find out. And then when you wake up, it will be your mother and father sitting with you, waiting to take their little girl home." Ducky's incessant chatter had filled the room for almost an hour, but even the non-stop talking, retellings of tales from his childhood, and outward mutterings of how to brew a cup of tea properly did nothing to bring a response from the child.

Not that he expected it would. She had been heavily sedated, both for the purpose of allowing the ventilator to breathe for her, and to prevent her from having to endure the agonising pain that she would otherwise be feeling. The M.E.'s brow furrowed as he considered the condition of the child lying silent before him.

The poor kid could end up disabled, wheelchair-bound, reliant on crutches, brain-damaged with problems talking, moving, eating, learning...

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Boss!" Tony said loudly, smiling as the lead agent emerged from the elevator and rounded the desks into the office. Gibbs said nothing in reply, just put his coffee on his desk, and walked to stand in front of the plasma screen, ready for their report.

"So, after Abby confirmed that the kid is Dixon's, we were able to finally get an ID." Tony reported, motioning to McGee to put the information onto the screen. "After they married, Rachel fell pregnant with a little girl, Mia."

"Good job. Ziva, McGee, Observation Room. DiNozzo, with me." Gibbs replied, grabbing his coffee and heading for the elevator, causing his agents to scramble to keep up.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Michael Dixon had been sitting on one side of the table in the Interrogation Room for a while now. He had started as most do, scanning the room, taking in the mirrored window, the security camera. He then resorted to sitting, his back straight, muscled arms folded across his broad chest. There was no worry in his eyes, no desperate planning on how to back out of the situation, no nervous tapping of a foot on the carpeted floor.

Gibbs opened the door and strode in, followed by his second. There was usually no need for Tony to accompany him during interrogations, and the Italian would join his colleagues behind the glass. Not this time. Dixon was stirring a barely-concealed fury in Gibbs, and the Marine knew that if this was not done by the book, Dixon would have a case against them. The agent could not afford that. No, he did not ask Tony to join him to ensure Dixon would not try anything, he asked that Tony be present to prevent HIM from personally strangling Dixon to death.

"Agent Gibbs. Pleasure to meet you again." Dixon sneered, leaning forwards to place his elbows on the table. He swung his head towards Tony, and his smile widened. "So scared you had to bring backup, huh?"

"Agent DiNozzo is here for your protection, not mine." Gibbs replied softly, silently impressed that his tone showed none of the anger which currently pulsed through him. The room reverberated with a booming laugh from Dixon.

"So, what's with the interrogation? You not got enough evidence to convict me? Man, I thought you guys were professionals! But then, that's why we're here in the first place. Bring that little rat in here and I'll show you something which will take any doubt from your mind." Dixon said, his tone growing dark and threatening.

Tony stepped forward from his position against the wall and opened his mouth, ready to give this asshole a piece of his mind. He had seen the state of the poor kid when they had stormed the warehouse, and that didn't sit well with him. But he was stopped by the raised hand of his boss.

"So, why are we here in the first place?" Gibbs asked, swallowing any other comments down.

"Come on, Agent Gibbs." Dixon cried, slamming his hands on the table. "You're the lead investigator in this team, no? A seasoned Federal Agent! And you can't even link yourself into this situation?!"

"Petty Officer Nick Johnson was jailed years ago for the murders he committed." Gibbs replied, trying not to show his confusion as to where this was leading.

"BUT YOU WERE TOO LATE! You, a decorated agent, failed to find and apprehend a Petty Officer after he murdered that first woman. That, I can understand. People can be difficult to find. But you were just damned lazy! You waited until he had killed not only two or three others, but until he had killed my Rachel." Dixon yelled, his face red with exertion. "She was my life! I was nothing until I met Rachel, and you took her away from me."

"Nick Johnson took her away from you!" Gibbs cried, standing from his seat and leaning over the table.

"NO! If you had just seen the damn clues earlier, worked harder, cared, then she would still be here! You and that shit of a kid! If it wasn't for you and her, Rachel wouldn't be dead right now."

"What the hell could that little girl have done? She didn't ask for her mother to be brutally murdered?" Gibbs snapped, returning to his seat to prevent himself leaping over the table and attacking Dixon.

"Rachel was kidnapped from outside a drugstore only a half mile from our house. She had been up all night with that brat, holding her as she coughed and vomited. But the fever wouldn't break, so Rachel went out to the drugstore to get some medicine."

"Wait just one tiny second!" Tony cried, stepping forward as his boss sat perfectly still, speechless. "You are blaming your CHILD for being sick enough that her mother left the house and was coincidently kidnapped and murdered?! In fact, you blamed her so intently, you tried to kill her?"

"Ah, that is where you are wrong, Agent DiNozzo." Dixon sneered, raising his eyes to meet Tony's. "I was in the Navy. I could have easily just killed the kid outright. But she had forced me to live without Rachel. It was a tortured life without her. And so she had to learn what that felt like. To have to live every single day in agony, knowing that it would never get better, that the life you once had is gone."

Gibbs could take no more. He stood up so quickly, the chair shot backwards and crashed into the wall below the mirrored window where Ziva and McGee were observing. Tony, expecting this reaction, almost held himself back and allowed his boss to beat Dixon into the floor for what he had put that little girl through. But he pushed himself forwards and grabbed Gibbs by the shoulders, dragging them both backwards as Ziva burst through the door and flew towards Dixon.

"Get that bastard downstairs before I show him exactly what pain feels like!" Gibbs bellowed, his eyes sparkling with fury.

"This is not the end, Agent Gibbs." Dixon said softly, not putting up any resistance as Ziva cuffed him and led him roughly from the room.

**So there we go, the story continues... REVIEW PLEASE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

**My apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. Life is a little difficult right now, and I didn't want to post a half-hearted chapter, especially since it was an important one, covering a few sensitive issues.**

Chapter 9

In the Paediatric ICU, the staff were clearly busy, dashing to and fro with patient files, bags of IV fluids, clipboards, and armfuls of dressings. Gibbs stepped back out of the way of a young blonde-haired nurse wearing white latex gloves and muttering about someone being 'lucky to be alive'. Arriving at Mia's room, he nodded to the agent posted outside, before opening the door and walking in, drawing the attention of the Medical Examiner sitting at the bedside.

"Jethro, I had not expected you to return so soon." Ducky said, his eyebrows rising as he stood to greet the Marine. Gibbs had a quick case-turnaround rate, but even this was exemplary.

"Got an ID for her. I spoke to the doctor on the phone; they should be able to get her medical records now." Gibbs informed him. The agent tried not to think about the content of the records. How many times had Mia been hospitalised after suffering through her father's treatment?

"This is excellent news!" Ducky exclaimed. "So, who is our little friend here?"

"Mia Dixon. Daughter of Michael and Rachel Dixon." Gibbs replied, pulling up a second chair and sitting down.

"Oh, a few years back, I recall performing an autopsy on a Rachel Dixon, poor thing had been –"

"Murdered by a Petty Officer. Yeah, I know, Duck. She was the kid's mother." Gibbs finished, wishing he had brought another coffee with him. He was going to need it. "The guy in custody is Michael Dixon."

"You cannot be serious, Jethro?" Ducky said, bringing one hand up to his mouth. "This little girl has been abused by her own father?"

"This is a lot more than just abuse, Duck. Abby found video recordings of her captivity on the computer Tony and Ziva found. He talked about her 'breaking the rules'. Need to find out what these rules are." Gibbs murmured, his earlier fury now simmering slightly.

"I shall head back to NCIS and see if Abby can give me a copy of these files. It may be beneficial to see what kind of person this Michael Dixon is." Ducky stood and, seeing Gibbs nod, bid him farewell.

Gibbs waited until he heard the soft click indicating the door had closed before he moved. The agent sat forward, elbows resting on his knees, and rubbed a tired hand over his face. Time passed unnoticed as he considered the situation. This little girl lost her mother when she was very young, and was brought up by a father who did nothing but blame and torture her. The Marine's gut churned as he wondered how much suffering the child had seen and been through in her short life.

"Sorry, Agent Gibbs," The doctor said as he and a nurse walked into the room. "We have to turn Mia now but you are welcome to stay if you like. It won't take long."

"I'm staying." Gibbs stated, standing and moving aside to let the medics have better access.

He watched closely as the nurse and doctor, using gentle hands and murmured words, shifted the child until she lay halfway between on her back and on her left side. Pillows were pulled from a nearby closet and positioned around her legs, one between her bandaged knees, and another along her back, keeping her supported.

"Now, Mia, let's just get all these wires sorted so you're not all tangled up, and then we're all set." The nurse said softly, smiling at her young patient as the doctor left the room. She busied herself making sure the wires, tubes, and IVs were free.

"Is she aware of what's going on?" Gibbs asked, stepping forwards.

"Consciously, no. We've put her into a coma to allow her body to heal. But just because she's in a coma, I'm not going to stop talking to her, telling her what I'm doing." She replied, walking round the bed to stand in front of the agent. "Some of my patients report that they remember hearing people talking to them when they were comatose. I strongly believe that just because Mia may not remember exactly what I've said, a voice might be enough to provide some calm, some safety."

Gibbs nodded, pleased at the thoughtfulness of the nursing staff, and took his seat again as the nurse left the room. The last time he had spent time alone with Mia, he had hesitated in showing any sort of comfort to her, for fear of... what? What exactly was he scared of? This little girl had known nothing other than abuse and pain, and here he was, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, previously a father himself... Wait, was that it?

He had been a father before. Kelly.

Gibbs had made a silent and unwritten promise as his little girl had entered the world that she would always grow up knowing she was loved and cared for. If it meant that he had to tell her he loved her every single day, wake her up and send her to sleep with a hug, hell even buy her the moon and stars, he would have done it.

No-one had done that for little Mia. Did she wake up in the morning to a loving smile? Did she go to sleep at night knowing she was safe? Did she get to go to school to learn and meet friends? Have presents on her birthday? Get treated to ice cream or sweets? Have a warm coat in the winter? Get a hot meal at night?

Shaking his head, Gibbs released the fists he had curled his hands into. Ignoring the stiffness his fingers were now feeling, he reached out and enveloped Mia's hand in his. Her fingers were warm, and he was careful to avoid contact with the white bandage wrapped around her tiny wrist.

Then it hit him. He was holding back for fear of caring for this kid enough to replace his own. With this thought, he paused. Analysing this new concept, Gibbs very quickly realised that that would never happen. He had, and still did, love his Kelly. She would always be alive in his mind and heart, her spirit still shone through when he saw the things she loved, visited places they used to go to together.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't care for this little girl. He was never going to replace his own daughter. But just because Kelly was gone, he shouldn't have to push any thoughts of care for another child back into the dark abyss where they had previously been held. What would Kelly have said? If he walked away now, and left Mia to the sometimes brutal hands of the care system, would that be better than ensuring this little girl had the safety and love that all children should have?

His mind made up, Gibbs placed his other hand on top of their already joined hands, and silently repeated the promise he had made the night Kelly was born. He would never want to replace his daughter, and now, he hoped that Kelly would understand and give him the guidance he would need to help Mia.

**Please leave me a little note telling me what you thought... **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer – See Chapter 1**

**Enjoy – and review please!**

Chapter 10

Dr. Wilks sipped the rapidly cooling coffee from the chipped and very well-worn mug in his left hand as he fingered the medical file which had just arrived on his desk. The seasoned doctor leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. When Marie, the most senior of the nursing staff in the Paediatric ICU, had told him of the 'mechanism of injury' leading to the current condition of Mia Dixon, he initially questioned the source of her information.

The senior nurse had withdrawn a step on hearing the doubtful tone from the doctor she had worked many years beside and, for a few strained seconds, silence hung between them. Then, apparently unable to form words, she had snagged the doctor's sleeve, tugged him from his office, and pointed towards the silver-haired agent hovering outside Mia's room.

The doctor only had to look at the agent to know that he was not only connected to the military in some way judging by his stance, but that he was seriously concerned for the child. He observed Gibbs quietly, taking in the intense eyes, the coffee cup held tightly in one hand, and the casual running outfit with patches of dust and dirt along one side and down the back.

Dr. Wilks pulled himself from his thoughts as he opened the pink cover, signalling a paediatric patient, containing Mia's medical records. The doctor skipped straight to the back pages, intending to learn everything about this little girl, which started the moment she had entered the world.

Rachel Dixon had been admitted to the local maternity hospital with contractions at a gestation of 39 and a half weeks. _Full term baby_, Dr. Wilks thought. The pregnancy had been uneventful with Rachel suffering little side effects and requiring no medicinal or clinical support. After a labour period of just over thirteen hours, baby Mia was born by vaginal delivery weighing in at 6lb 4oz. _Average labour, healthy weight._ Three days following the birth, mother and baby were discharged.

The following pages contained details of Mia's vaccinations as a young baby, the dates, names of the nurses giving the injections. Turning another page, the doctor came across an emergency admission report, and he felt his heart squeeze. Was this it? Did it all start here? Dr. Wilks' eyebrows furrowed as he read the report...

_Mia Dixon, 28 weeks, presenting with fever, flushing, listlessness, cough, and shortness of breath. Mother reports symptoms of flu for previous 5 days. Temp: 39.8 degrees. Chest x-ray shows bilateral pneumonia. Patient admitted to PICU._

So Mia had contracted flu at the age of only 6 months, which developed into pneumonia. The notes reported that after a hospital stay of eight days, three of which were spent in PICU, Mia was discharged with oral antibiotics and an outpatient appointment for the following week. Nothing suspicious there.

The follow-up appointment, in which a repeat chest x-ray was taken, showed a moderate amount of scarring to Mia's lungs, caused by the illness. This was not unusual. Pneumonia, especially in the very young, could result in scarring to the respiratory tract since patients at that age do not understand the importance of coughing, leading the bacteria in the lungs to cause damage.

When the doctor turned the page, he quickly realised two things. Firstly, that was the end of the medical records for this patient. After the outpatient appointment, Mia had not been seen by a medical professional or received any form of medical treatment. Secondly, and more pressing, was the fact that this little girl had lung scarring which would not react well to being ventilated. The infection currently settling in her lungs would only worsen the scarring. She would have to be woken sooner than the medical team would have liked.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs stood from his somewhat uncomfortable chair by Mia's bedside, and squeezed out the cloth which had been lying in a bowl of cool water on the table. With a careful hand, he smoothed the child's hair away from her fevered forehead and face, before running the cold cloth over her flushed skin. A frown appeared on the agent's face as he concentrated on avoiding both the tube in her mouth, and the tapes holding it securely in place.

"There we go, kiddo." Gibbs murmured, his voice soft and reassuring as he returned the cloth back to the water. "Don't know if you can hear me, but we're looking after you, nobody's gonna hurt you anymore."

He ignored the protests from the muscles in his back and knees as he sat back into the chair. With Mia now on her left side, she was slightly facing him, which almost made her look... real? Before, her body had been so still and lost in the large bed, and lying flat on her back, arms by her sides, had given the impression that she could have been a doll. Now, more on one side, her legs pulled up slightly, she reminded Gibbs of a sleeping child.

Gibbs turned his head towards the door as it swung open, revealing Dr. Wilks, a pink file under one arm.

"Agent Gibbs," The doctor greeted. "How's she doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that, doc." Gibbs replied, turning back to the child, almost to reassure himself that she still breathed.

"Yes, indeed." Dr. Wilks said, before crossing to the other side of the bed and sitting in the vacant chair. "Since your team were able to find out who this little girl was, I have been studying her medical records to make sure there were no underlying conditions which we should be aware of."

"You find evidence of previous injuries?" Gibbs asked, sitting up in his chair, ready for the news.

"Actually, no," Dr. Wilks replied, taking note of the agent's confused expression. "Of course, the first record in her notes are of her birth, which was without problem. Following that, an emergency admission into this department when, at the age of six months, she developed pneumonia after having the flu."

"Pneumonia as a baby?" The agent repeated.

"Yes, her mother brought her to the emergency room, and Mia was admitted into the PICU for treatment. I must say, however, although this was a severe case of pneumonia, there seems to be no evidence to suggest that Mia was made to be unwell deliberately." The doctor added. "This now leads me to two issues. The first, due to the severity of her illness as a baby, Mia was left with a reasonable amount of scarring inside her lungs which, if we were to leave her on the ventilator as long as we had planned, would only worsen and lead to further complications."

"You said she was on the vent to help her heal, now it's hurting her?" Gibbs asked, unable to wrap his head around all the medical stuff. How he wished Ducky was present to be able to explain everything.

"Mia has an infection in her lungs which, if she were a healthy child, she would be coughing to try and clear. Even with the scarring in her lungs, if she were conscious, she would still be somewhat able to cough up the mucus gathering in her chest, where the infection is breeding." Dr. Wilks explained. "On the ventilator, she is unable to clear her lungs, and the infection has the potential to spread into the scarring and cause it to worsen. Ultimately, what we need to do is wean her off the sedation and allow her to wake. That way, we will be able to help her to get rid of the infection before it complicates her condition."

"So, you're gonna wake her up even though she's just had surgery, and she might have brain-damage?"

"Mia will experience a larger level of pain than if she was left on the ventilator, but we can help manage that with stronger drugs. As for the potential damage to her brain, bringing her off the ventilator will allow us to use neurological testing as well as scans to assess the damage." Dr. Wilks said. "This brings me on to the other problem."

"You don't think the poor kid's got enough problems?" Gibbs growled.

"My apologies, Agent Gibbs." The doctor replied, slightly startled at the agent's outburst.

"No, doc," Gibbs said, raising a hand in unspoken apology. "Just don't seem fair, that's all. What's the other issue?"

"After the report of Mia being unwell as a baby, there are no other notes in her file." Dr. Wilks continued.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Well, there is the possibility that she suffered other injuries and was merely denied medical attention..."

**Reviews please! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer – See Chapter 1**

**Here's the next instalment – enjoy!**

Chapter 11

The doctors had ordered that Mia undergo a range of scans and tests, which would not only allow them to assess the damage of her lungs, but would also pick up any previous injuries. Dr. Wilks had explained to Gibbs that it would be easier to carry out the testing before the sedation was decreased since Mia would be spared the stress of the scans, and the sedation would allow her to remain still.

"It will take a few hours for the scans and tests to be done, so I would advise that you go home, take a shower, change, and eat." Dr. Wilks told Gibbs.

At first there was no response from the agent, who looked down at his running outfit before running his fingers through his hair and nodding. He could really use a coffee right now. And a shower didn't seem to be a bad idea either.

"I'll be back in a few hours." Gibbs told the doctor. "Don't want her waking up alone."

"Once the tests are complete, we will reduce the sedation and allow Mia to wake up, but that alone could take an hour or a day. There really is no way to predict how quickly a patient will regain consciousness."

"Well," Gibbs replied. "I will be here whether it takes her an hour to wake up, a day, or a week."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"_Autopsy."_

"Duck, it's me."

"_Ah, Jethro. What can I do for you?"_

"They're sending Mia for tests. Doc thinks she might have been injured and denied medical treatment. Says it'll take a few hours to get the scans and tests done. I'm going home to change and shower. Can you meet me at Bethesda in three hours?"

"_Of course, Jethro, but may I ask –"_

"Will explain everything there, Duck." Gibbs hung up, started the car, and headed for home.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Exactly two hours and fifty-two minutes later, Special Agent Gibbs re-entered the PICU feeling refreshed and suitably caffeinated. He carried two take-away cups, one which would help to keep his head on straight, and the other containing some of that tea that Ducky liked. Hopefully, the M.E. would not feel the agent needed to be indulged as to the practice of brewing the perfect cup of tea.

"Thanks for coming, Duck." Gibbs greeted, extending the cup to his colleague. Ducky took the offered beverage, carefully removed the lid, and smiled into the steam.

"My pleasure, Jethro. Shall we head inside?" Ducky asked, turning towards Mia's room.

The two men took their drinks into the child's hospital room and, pulling the two chairs to one side of the room, sat and waited for Mia to return. It was a good opportunity for the agent to get his friend caught up on everything which had transpired in the M.E.'s absence.

"Ah yes. I can understand Dr. Wilks wanting to extubate as soon as possible, given her history." Ducky murmured, more to himself than to Gibbs.

It was another hour before Mia was wheeled back into the room by two nurses who positioned the bed then took their time in reconnecting the various tubes, wires, and lines. The child had been turned onto her back again, giving her the doll-like appearance she had before.

"Hello there, my dear." Ducky said, his soothing lilt carrying across the room. He stood and leant over the bed rail, taking Mia's hand in his. "Jethro tells me you will be waking up soon. It will be nice to finally meet you properly."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Agent Gibbs, Doctor Mallard." Dr. Wilks greeted as he walked into the room. The doctor carried Mia's file, along with several x-ray and CAT scan films, under his arm.

"Doctor Wilks, it is good to see you again." Ducky replied, standing and extending his hand towards the younger medic. Gibbs also rose, though offered nothing other than a nod of the head in terms of greeting.

"Yes, indeed. Please, sit." Dr. Wilks motioned to the two chairs and waited until the two men were seated before continuing. "As you know, we ran a range of tests and scans this morning, and the results are both promising, and a little worrying."

The medic turned towards an x-ray box on the wall and slid two films into place, drawing the attention of Gibbs and Ducky before flicking the switch on. The light blinked a few times as it warmed up, and then displayed images of Mia's chest.

"As you can see here," The doctor continued, pointing to the x-ray. "The infection in Mia's lungs has not developed since her admission, meaning that the previous scarring has not worsened."

"I can see why you have cause for worry, Doctor Wilks." Ducky said, his voice displaying his concern. His eyes were narrowed as he scrutinised the x-ray films, tracing a finger over the images.

"Duck?" Gibbs asked, unable to determine anything from the black-and-white pictures.

"See here, Jethro." Ducky replied, pointing to the image of Mia's ribcage. "The ribs show evidence of old fractures, some of which have healed remarkably well, but some have healed slightly out of alignment"

Gibbs inhaled deeply in an attempt to put a stop to the bile rising in his throat and to prevent the somewhat colourful language threatening to fly from his mouth.

"And it wasn't limited to her ribs." Doctor Wilks said tersely, pulling down the chest x-rays and replacing them with those of her limbs.

"Jesus Christ, Duck! That son of a –"

"Jethro!" Ducky snapped quickly, grabbing the agent's arm and effectively cutting off the agent's tirade. Gibbs turned to Mia, almost hoping that his sudden outburst had woken her, but at the same time was glad that it hadn't.

"So, the x-rays show a multitude of fractures, all in different stages of healing. Her left forearm is particularly damaged. The consultant radiologist counted more than seven individual fracture points and, as you can see, most have healed with poor alignment." The doctor turned at this point, walked to the side of the bed, and took Mia's left wrist in his hands. The two men watched as the medic gently turned the limb and felt their guts churn on seeing that the child's arm was, indeed, far from straight.

**What did you think?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

**I thought long and hard about writing this chapter. At first, I wasn't even considering writing it, but a couple of reviews changed my mind and has put a potential twist into the story.**

Chapter 12

The unadulterated fury flowing through the veins of a certain Special Agent was of such intensity that all desperate cries and pleas from Donald Mallard begging him to calm down and return went unheard. Whatever else the medic had to report from the test results would have to be relayed to the M.E. as Gibbs was nearly halfway down the corridor to the elevator before the young doctor could even think about his next sentence.

The agent's mind with swimming with angry questions, the answers to which he wasn't even confident he wanted to know. He tried not to picture Mia lying on some cold floor somewhere, her little body beaten and bleeding, knowing that nobody would come and make the pain better. With no living relatives other than her disgusting excuse for a father, did her 8-year-old brain manage to comprehend that nobody would realise she was "missing"?

Gibbs managed to grab hold of a nearby trashcan to steady himself as his stomach rebelled and he vomited his last cup of coffee. Even this short delay did not force the Marine to reconsider what he was about to do. Hands still clutching the rim of the trashcan, he brought his eyes up to meet the front of the Navy Yard building and distractedly wondered how he had made the journey without having a single memory of making it. It didn't matter, though. He had a job to do, and nothing was going to get in his way. There was a little girl at the hospital who needed his protection, and that thought pushed him onwards.

"Agent Gibbs." The security officer greeted as the silver-haired agent briefly flashed his badge and ID, dropped his keys and gun into the tray, stepped through the metal-detecting barrier, grabbed his things on the other side, and started up the stairs two at a time. There was no backwards glance, no nod of acknowledgement, no single word in reply.

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a solid grey door, the number "6" stencilled onto its smooth metal surface. On the other side of the door was Michael Dixon, who remained oblivious to the presence of the agent silently contemplating his next move. Gibbs raised his right hand and pushed a key he didn't remember getting into the heavy lock. Opening the door, he immediately set eyes on Dixon, who sat half-reclined on his bunk, leaning against the wall.

"Well, well, Agent Gibbs." Dixon sneered, making no move to get up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Within a split second, Gibbs had grabbed Dixon by the front of his shirt, thrown him against the opposite wall of the small holding cell, and held him there. Dixon was completely unresisting, his body relaxed and compliant. Gibbs had expected a fair fight, seeing as they had both had Marine training.

"What's the matter, Dixon?" Gibbs hissed. "Frightened of someone who can fight back?"

"You don't scare me, Gibbs." Dixon drawled, leaning his head so far forward that the two men were almost nose-to-nose. "I could snap your neck right here and be done with it."

"Yeah?" The agent growled. "What's stopping you, asshole?"

"And give you the easy way out?!" Dixon cried, suddenly becoming animated. "Not a chance. You deserve to suffer like you made me suffer."

"Like you made Mia suffer?" Gibbs snapped, shaking the other man forcefully.

"Oh, Agent Gibbs, you know nothing about that little rat." Dixon sniggered, returning to his uncaring, unresisting pose.

"I know you beat her so hard you shattered her bones, and then did nothing. Her x-rays show multiple fractures, none of which were allowed to heal properly." Gibbs snapped. "How much pain did you make that little girl suffer?"

"Not as much as she deserved." Dixon whispered, almost to himself. "Not as much as she made me suffer."

For nearly ten seconds, the two men remained motionless. Neither said a word. Then, suddenly, Gibbs wrenched Dixon from his place against the wall, threw him back towards his bunk, and walked quickly out of the holding cell, slamming the door behind him.

"Oh, and Agent Gibbs?" Dixon's voice floated dimly through the door and Gibbs paused, his hand on the key in the lock. "See you soon."

With that, Gibbs flicked the key around, and tossed it to the guard on duty as he stalked out of the cell block.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs headed straight for his usual coffee shop, frustrated that his confrontation with Dixon had not only failed to make him feel better, but instead had increased the amount of concern he was experiencing for the little girl.

The agent had heard many threats in his time, and hearing them murmured as the cell door locked on a criminal was hardly an uncommon occurrence. _See you soon_, he'd said. Gibbs shook his head to disperse of the memory, but something in it made his gut churn.

Without a word to the young waitress behind the counter, he grabbed the cup, dropped a handful of change onto the counter, then jumped into his car and headed back to Bethesda.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Jethro!" Ducky exclaimed, rising from his chair and moving towards the agent. "What –"

"Don't, Duck." Gibbs snapped before stopping himself, taking a long inhale of air, and calming his tone. "How is she?"

"The good Doctor Wilks has reduced the sedation and I am pleased to say that our little Mia is already showing signs of returning to consciousness." The M.E. reported, smiling. Both men took up their respective chairs beside the bed, prepared to wait as long as it took.

It wasn't long before Gibbs noticed some of the signs Ducky had mentioned. Minute contractions of the muscles in her hand caused her fingers to twitch and without a second thought, the agent leaned forward, taking the small hand in his, hoping to provide some comfort. It seemed to work; the tiny twitches eased and then stopped.

**Reviews?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

**Have I lost everybody? Not a single review after my last chapter :-( **

Chapter 13

Mia Dixon lay almost motionless in Bethesda's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. It had been three long hours since her medical team had reduced the amount of sedation running through her small body and she had shown little in the way of waking.

Gibbs sat in the regulation plastic chair to the child's right, one leg crossed over the other, his gaze never straying from Mia. He had observed with an intense scrutiny as the nurses carried out their regular observations and checks, noting vitals, gauging pupil responses, and sometimes offering quietly spoken reassurances. Over the last hour, the agent had noticed an increase in the movement under Mia's closed eyelids as her brain fought through the thick fog of anaesthesia. He silently wondered if the rapid eye movement he could see was similar to that of normal sleep, or was it merely a side-effect of all the medication.

"Is she dreaming, Duck?" Gibbs asked, his voice cutting through the silence.

"It is very likely." Ducky replied. "The eye movement she has is comparable to that of natural sleep. It is, however, unlikely that she will remember this stage and, as you well know from your experience in the past, it is not an easy sleep to wake from."

The agent nodded his understanding, relieved in the knowledge that what he was witnessing was standard procedure. Dread filled his gut as he wondered exactly what she was dreaming of, but attempted to reassure himself in the reality that she wouldn't remember whatever visions she was seeing.

Another two hours, four calls from his agents, and three cups of hospital "coffee" later, Gibbs was drawn from his thoughts by the slight increase in tempo of the heart monitor diligently marking every beat with an audible beep. Ducky looked up from his newspaper, his medically-trained eyes immediately travelling to the child first, then to the monitor. A split-second after the Medical Examiner's eyes moved back to the print, movement from his colleague drew his attention back to Mia.

"Mia?" Gibbs asked, keeping his voice soft and non-threatening. He gently wrapped his hand around hers as she drew her eyebrows into a frown. The agent was aware of the M.E. rising from his chair, mirroring his position on the other side of the bed. "You with us?"

Her pale face seemed to relax again and just as the two men began to think about returning to their chairs and calling it a random reaction caused by the anaesthetic wearing off, the little girl suddenly regained her gag reflex, displayed by a distressed expression and the contraction of the muscles in her throat desperately trying to expel the foreign object from her windpipe.

"I shall call her doctor!" Ducky said, glancing at Gibbs as he moved quickly from the room towards the nurses' station.

"Mia, kiddo, try and relax," Gibbs murmured, catching the uncoordinated and weakly flailing hands as he attempted to calm the child. Her eyes were squeezed closed as the contractions in her throat continued, causing the heart monitor to sound another increase in pulse rate. "Doc's on his way and then we can take the tube out."

"Ready to get rid of this tube, I hear?" Dr. Wilks said as he strode into the room, rapidly followed by both Ducky and a nurse. There was no indication that Mia had understood, or had even heard, the doctor's comment. Her body continued to strain against the ventilator and rather than wait until some form of coherence was reached, the doctor made the decision to pull the tube. "Alright, sweetheart, let's take this nasty tube out."

With long-practiced skill, the medic waited for an exhalation before smoothly sliding the tube from Mia's throat and mouth, swiftly passing it to the nurse in exchange for an oxygen mask.

"You're ok, kiddo, just breathe." Gibbs soothed, retaining his gentle grasp of her hands and trying not to panic at the noisy wheezing and gurgling sounds coming from her lungs.

"Nice big breaths for me, Mia." Dr. Wilks instructed, resting the stethoscope against her chest. His eyes narrowed slightly as a few small, weak coughs shook her body. Once the coughing had subsided, the doctor listened for a few more breaths before pulling away and straightening up. "Marie, could you start a nebuliser please? Salbutamol 2.5mg."

"What's wrong, doc?" Gibbs asked as he turned towards the medic. Mia's body had relaxed after the bout of coughing had ended, but Gibbs was reluctant to let go of her hand.

"She has wheezing in both lungs, along with some crackles. The nebuliser will open her airways, then she won't have to struggle so much to take a breath." The doctor explained as the nurse left the room to collect the required medication.

"Much like when our dear Anthony has a chest infection, Jethro." Ducky expanded, trying to use a scenario the Marine could relate to, and getting an appreciative nod in response.

Marie soon returned with an adapter and a small ampoule of liquid in her hands. She made her way to the side of the bed, emptied the fluid into the adapter, and fixed it to Mia's oxygen mask. As soon as the oxygen flow hit the liquid, it vaporised, allowing the child to breathe the medication directly into her lungs.

"This is just a little bit of medicine to make your chest feel better, Mia." Marie said quietly as she worked.

"Mia, can you open your eyes for me?" Dr. Wilks asked, observing his patient closely.

Without realising it, Gibbs had held his breath as he watched the little girl's face for a reaction. Time ticked past with the only sound coming from the heart monitor at the side of the bed. Finally, the little eyelids flickered and opened, revealing a pair of unfocussed, glazed, blue eyes.

"Hey, there, kiddo." Gibbs murmured, his own breathing starting to even out.

Before anyone could make a move, her eyes closed and consciousness was gone.

"Alright, sweetheart, let's just give you a little more time to come round." The doctor said, smiling at Gibbs and Ducky before he picked up the folder lying at the end of the bed and headed for his office.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**So here it is – the beginning! It's been a difficult chapter to write as I've had to spend time thinking about things from both Gibbs' and Mia's perspectives. **

**Author's Note – I have no experience in working with children in this sort of situation, so please let me know if I am going horribly wrong!**

Chapter 14

Cloudy. That was definitely the word for it. Her brain was cloudy. And slow. And that wasn't good. He didn't like when she was slow. Everything was now. Right now. She had to be ready when He was ready. Slow was breaking the rules, and breaking the rules meant pain.

Coming to the surface a little more, Mia's body decided that now was the best time to inform her that she was in pain. Her legs felt like hot knives were being dragged through them but she was determined not to move, or to make a sound. If He knew she was awake, it would all start again. With that much pain radiating throughout her body, she must have broken an important rule, but her slow brain couldn't remember what it was.

There was a funny smell. That could be why her brain felt cloudy. Sometimes He would hold a piece of material over her face, and it always smelled funny. It made her head sore, and then she'd get really sleepy and everything would go dark.

Mia struggled to remember exactly what had happened. She must have done something really wrong. Remaining still and quiet, she tried to get her brain to work. A picture of a face popped into her mind, and seconds later it all came flooding back. He was in the cell next to hers. So unused to anyone else being there, she had turned her head, and before she could stop herself, had looked the man straight in the eye.

She inwardly cringed, it was no wonder she was in pain. The number one rule had been broken. He would have seen it all on the camera. That little black box with the red light never missed anything. It was always there, always watching. She remembered Him unlocking the cell and speaking, recalled how she had look resolutely at the floor, but it was too late. There was an explosion and a fire ripping into her knee, and then her world had seemed to narrow. There were voices in the background, someone shouting, the same agony in her other knee, and then nothing.

"Mia?" She heard. The voice was different to His. Deeper and not so... nasty? Panic crawled into her body as she struggled to decide what to do. If she woke up now, He would hurt her again, but if she pretended she was still sleeping and He found out, it would be worse. And He always knew.

Taking a deeper breath of the funny-smelling air to calm her heart, Mia slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh light. As soon as her vision focussed, she immediately realised that someone was sitting next to her, and she kept her eyes low. There was no way she was going to make _that_ mistake again. There was a plastic mask over her face, but she knew better than to tamper with it, especially since she was being watched.

"Hey, kiddo, welcome back." The figure in the chair said, sitting forward and reaching out a hand. Instinct kicked in automatically, causing her to recoil from the sudden threat by drawing her arm up to her chest. There were more words, but they went unheard as her eyes took in the sight of her arm. Violently moving back and forth, she was making little progress in pulling it to where he couldn't reach. What had He done? There was no pain in her arm, but she had no control over it.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs' attention was drawn to the increasing pace of the heart monitor by the bedside. Mia had been sleeping for the last few hours, with no signs of distress. Even now, her expression had not changed, nor had she made any movement or sound.

"Mia?" He asked, concerned at the change in her heart rate. A quick glance at Ducky revealed the Medical Examiner to be quietly observing the child, but he did not seem to be concerned.

Turning back to Mia, Gibbs noted the presence of some minute changes in her expression. Just as he was watching her face, she took a deeper breath under the oxygen mask still puffing vaporised medication into her lungs, and her eyes opened.

"Hey, kiddo, welcome back." Gibbs said quietly, smiling, sitting forward in his chair and reaching out to brush some strands of hair from her face. As soon as his hand approached, though, Mia's whole body seemed to recoil from him. His heart squeezed painfully as he watched the terrified child struggle to move away from him.

"Easy now, you're ok." He murmured as he withdrew his hand and adopted a less threatening pose. In the background, he was distantly aware of Ducky leaving the room in search of medical assistance. "Just try and relax, Mia. Nobody's gonna hurt you."

Standing now, the agent was at a loss of what to do. Everything in his being was screaming at him to hold the child, take her hurting body into his arms, and hug her until she calmed. But the agent inside him reminded him that this little girl had known nothing other than abuse and pain, and approaching her, never mind hugging her, would only cause more distress.

As though seeing Mia for the first time, Gibbs suddenly realised the trouble she was having. Despite the obvious intention of needing to have space between them, she wasn't able to get her body to cooperate. Her eyes stayed on her right arm which violently shook and seemed to have a complete lack of coordination.

"Mia?" Dr. Wilks asked as he entered the room. Gibbs immediately stood back to allow the doctor access, but his gaze never left Mia's terrified form. Despite having just awoken, her eyes were wide and focussed, but she never once looked any of the room's occupants in the eye. Gibbs watched as she followed the progress of the doctor as he walked around to the other side of the bed. "Are you in pain right now?"

Mia's breathing sped up slightly at the question. She looked away, her eyes glazing slightly as if caught in a memory.

She hated that sort of question. There was no good answer, everything led to more hurt. Over the years, she'd tried "yes" and "no", but it didn't seem to make a difference. If she agreed that yes, she was in pain, He'd produce a syringe and a promise that he had some special medicine to make it better. It never made it better. To answer with "no" usually produced a response somewhere in the region of "see if this makes it hurt, then"...


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed! Like I've mentioned before, I have no experience in dealing with any of this subject matter before, and it really helps to have someone tell me if I'm on the right track, or way off! **

Chapter 15

Finally alone with Mia since Dr. Wilks and Ducky had retreated to the medic's office to talk about her treatment, Gibbs returned to his place sitting in the chair on her right. At first, all he did was observe the child. The infection in her lungs was raising her body temperature and causing a flush to colour her cheeks.

"Mia?" Gibbs' voice was soft, unassuming, patient. As soon as the word hit the silent air in the room, the girl tensed. She had not forgotten that he was there, but although she did not feel the same evil intention as she felt from Him, her guard would stay in place. Her blue eyes flickered across the blanket towards Gibbs, but travelled no further than the edge of the bed. "Can you look at me?"

If Gibbs had not had the observational training from both his years as a sniper, and his time as Lead Agent of the MCRT, he might have missed it. Her body was perfectly still, her eyes lingering at the edge of the blanket nearest him. She was listening. And after a couple of strained seconds, there was the tiniest of shakes of her head. She couldn't look at him.

"That's ok, kiddo." Gibbs reassured her. He offered a smile and hoped that even though she wasn't looking directly at him, she might just catch his calmness. "You don't need to do anything you don't want to anymore."

The agent spoke slowly, making sure every word was clear. They didn't yet know exactly how much Mia was able to understand and, if anything, Gibbs hoped that even she didn't, or couldn't, reply, that she would hold onto his words.

"You are safe now. Nobody is gonna hurt you anymore." He continued, always watching for some sort of reaction. "I know you're scared, kiddo. I'm scared too. I'm scared because I don't want to do anything that's gonna make you sad, or frightened."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Gibbs!" The agent turned in time to brace himself against the rush of flying Goth. "I so wanted to come see you guys sooner, but Tony wouldn't let me, and then Balboa's team needed forensic stuff done, and then –"

"Abs," Gibbs said, cutting her off. "Wouldn't have let you come earlier. Mia's only just woken up, she can't have too many people around her."

"How is she, Boss?" Tony asked, appearing at Abby's side.

"Terrified." He growled, pulling out a seat in the busy hospital cafeteria, and motioning for the other two to do the same. "Ducky's with her. Need to find a way of getting through to her."

Tony was quiet, his eyes distant. Memories of his own childhood flooded his mind. It was nowhere on the scale of Mia's abusive history, but that didn't stop the painful reminders of the mental torment. A gentle hand on his arm brought the agent back to the noisy cafeteria.

"Tony and I were hoping to help." Abby told Gibbs. "Maybe between all of us, we can show her what a family is supposed to be like."

"Is she talking?" Tony asked, his voice still quiet and lacking all of the usual Tony enthusiasm.

"Hasn't made a sound. Don't even know if she can." Gibbs told them. "Won't look at anyone. The kid's been traumatised to such an extent that even the doc can't get near her without her trying to get away."

"When I was looking through Dixon's computer, there was a text file hidden away in one of the folders and when I opened it, well..." Abby trailed off and turned to the side to rummage through her bag. "I printed it off for you, Gibbs."

Gibbs took the folded paper in one hand and a sip from the cup in his other. Placing the cup back on the cafeteria table, the lead agent unfolded the paper and scanned it with his eyes. If he'd had to guess what Abby had found on Dixon's computer, it would never have been this.

_The Rules_

_1. Never look anyone in the eye_

_2. Don't speak unless asked a direct question_

_3. Never make me give an instruction twice_

_4. Always remember why you're here_

The sudden crash of Gibbs' fist against the table top caused not only Tony to jump and Abby to cling to his arm, but drew the attention of the patients, relatives, and staff all around them. All of this went unnoticed to the lead agent, who couldn't recall another time when he felt this angry.

"Ah hell." Gibbs muttered, his self-control holding him back from tearing the sheet of paper into a thousand pieces and individually setting fire to every single one of them.

"Do you think –"

"Yeah, Abs. It's his rules for her." Gibbs replied, keeping his gaze on the paper, which started to tremble slightly as he realised exactly what had happened. "I'm the reason she's in the hospital..."

"Boss?" Tony asked, confused about the agent's statement.

"When she came round in the cell, I moved closer to assess her condition, and for a split second, she looked at me." Gibbs explained, his voice dropping in volume and tone with every word. "He must have seen it on the camera. He came in within seconds, talking about 'breaking rules'. That was when he pulled the trigger first. The second bullet, I caused by yelling at him."

Gibbs stopped. The agent was aware of both Abby and Tony holding their questions and reassurances back, silently understanding that he wasn't finished. The silver-haired Marine inhaled deeply before continuing.

"Need to take care of this kid." Gibbs muttered, still looking at the paper in his hand.

"She doesn't have to be your responsibility, Gibbs." Abby suddenly said. "You'd be the perfect person to bring her up and give her the life she deserves, but we could make sure that if she went into the care system, that she'd find a good family."

"Not gonna happen, Abs." Gibbs replied, looking at the forensic scientist sitting opposite him. There was determination in his eyes, but there was also something else. Something that Abby hadn't seen there before. "But before I start the formalities of becoming her legal guardian, there's something I need, and it involves both of you."

"Anything, Gibbs." Abby replied instantly.

"No, Abs." The agent countered. "This is something you guys need to think about before you decide. I don't think I can look after Mia alone. Apart from her physical needs, which the docs are still working out, she's gonna need people who can interact with her, at her pace, and with her safety in mind."

Gibbs watched his two colleagues with a mixture of concern and hope. He had absolute faith in them and knew that between the three of them, plus Ducky for the medical side, they could manage. But he desperately needed them to decide for themselves. It was going to be a long and difficult journey, and he needed his best team with him.

"Tony," Gibbs started, drawing the young man's attention with the use of his first name. "Never asked anything this big from you, don't even have the right to ask it of you. Will you help me understand what Mia's feeling? How I can help her to trust again? Gonna be painful for everybody, and if you wanna walk away, I won't hold it against you. Abs, need you to help me teach her how to be a kid. No idea what she knows or doesn't know, but my gut tells me she's never had any normal human interaction. Maybe hasn't even been hugged before."


End file.
